Heisman Trophy Winner Fernando Mendoza’s Dominant Season Is Defined by One Wild Stat

Mendoza's five touchdown passes helped the Hoosiers advance to the national championship.

Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza's Heisman Trophy season can be defined by one wild stat. / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Indiana star quarterback Fernando Mendoza completed 17 of his 20 passing attempts for 177 yards and five touchdowns in Friday night's 56–22 win over Oregon in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Peach Bowl.

The Hoosiers punched their ticket to the national championship thanks to three Oregon turnovers and a blocked punt, all of which set up short field touchdowns for Mendoza & Co.

Per Dave Revsine of Big Ten Network, this was Mendoza’s fifth game this season with more touchdowns than incompletions. No other quarterback has done that more than twice this century.

Wow.

As Revsine mentioned, it was Mendoza's fifth time throwing for more touchdowns than incompletions, and his second time in as many games. Mendoza completed 14 of his 16 passes in the Rose Bowl for 192 yards and three touchdowns.

He also accomplished the impressive feat against Indiana State (19-for-20, five touchdowns), Illinois (21-for-23, five touchdowns) and Wisconsin (22-of-24, four touchdowns). The stat doesn’t even count Mendoza’s game against Michigan State, in which he threw as many touchdowns as incompletions, finishing 24-for-28 with four scores.

In the CFP, Mendoza has completed 31 of his 36 passing attempts for 369 yards and eight touchdowns to zero interceptions.

He's been surgical, and his passing ability has the Hoosiers one win away from a national title.

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